Finding a Place in the Sun: Reflections of a Former EESI intern | Article

Working in renewable energy has been my dream ever since I can remember. Growing up in West Virginia and seeing the impacts of the coal industry on people’s health, environment, and economy of the state, I felt a personal responsibility to shift U.S. energy sources away from fossil fuels. I desired clean air and water for my community. I wished for no more coal mining disasters, which have proven dangerous and catastrophic for West Virginia’s small towns.

Rachael Shook

As I grew up learning about climate issues, renewable energy seemed like a pipe dream... Yet, in the 2010s, the economy and political climate began to encourage the implementation of new technologies at a larger scale, leading to the rapid expansion of renewables in the United States that continues to this day. The urgency of climate change demands collaboration from leaders across all areas of government and the private sector. I longed to be in the middle of the quickly evolving clean energy revolution. In 2015, I traveled from my university in central New York to Washington D.C., where I would spend the spring semester of my junior year. I was fortunate enough to dedicate my time outside of the classroom to EESI as a Communications and Policy Intern.

During my tenure as an intern, it was clear what a crucial role EESI plays in advocating for clean energy at the national level. Much of my work centered on marketing and outreach efforts, to engage stakeholders such as NGOs, research organizations, and political offices in the policymaking process. I highlighted emerging research on pertinent energy topics through my pieces in Climate Change News and in the articles and fact sheets to which I contributed. Under Amaury Laporte’s mentorship, I learned how to best communicate environmental topics to EESI’s wide audience. My internship truly immersed me in the political process and exposed me to topics including climate change, green buildings, fuel cell technologies, and more. Most of all, it showed me how opportunity abounded within the renewables space.

A year prior to my EESI internship, my current employer, Cypress Creek Renewables, was founded. Cypress Creek Renewables develops, finances, owns and operates solar and battery storage facilities across the United States. To date, the company has developed more than 10 gigawatts of solar and has more than 3.5 gigawatts under management.

I currently work as an asset manager, serving as the direct point of contact and decision-maker for several company-owned utility-scale solar and energy storage projects. My favorite part about my job is how versatile it is. One moment, I am attending a project management call with engineers and technical specialists, determining how to address a persistent maintenance issue. The next moment, I am knee-deep in spreadsheets, managing budgets, and projecting solar revenues using environmental and weather data. All the while, I maintain relationships with investors, landowners, and utilities to ensure my projects are running smoothly and within legal compliance.

It’s easy to see how my EESI internship set me up for career success in the renewables space. EESI utilizes data-driven decision-making to inform policy leaders about relevant energy topics. Heading into the workforce post-grad can be daunting, especially in such an emerging and rapidly evolving field like solar energy. EESI put me at the forefront of energy research and challenged me to deepen my communications and research skills. Beyond that, each and every member of the staff was always willing to show me their field of research and let me accompany them to an event or lunch they were attending.

I am confident that the work being done at EESI is essential to the continued success of renewable energy. So thank you, EESI, for what you have taught me, and all that you continue to do to make our world a brighter and healthier place to live!

Author: Rachael Shook